Jack R. Slentz

Artist Statement

My work has the appearance of being rather raw and primitive, its beauty comes from the purity and simplicity of form that is emphasized by showing the mark of the tool. The ideas for my artwork come from every day objects, things that we notice and take for granted. Some of the everyday forms I use, as points of departure, are manhole covers, storm grates, and seedpods. Other images I draw inspiration from are spears, shields, masks, and primitive tools. Their forms and surfaces have a repetition that creates a sense of rhythm and movement. These repetitive forms, patterns, and textures move me in a very contemplative, and spiritual way. I draw influence from these objects, and my work is an abstraction of them allowing the viewer to use their imagination and respond from a gut level.

A number of the pieces I make represent a duality or struggle within the self where one can be loving, caring, and nurturing and at the same time mean, hateful, and destructive. This reflects the love, hate dichotomy, which is the backbone of much of my work. As one of my collectors once said, "your work has a sort of -- from hell and back quality", which I agree is my visual representation of life's struggle.